17 Things I Keep In My First Aid Kit

I recently re-packed my first aid kit that I take backpacking, and I thought I would share what I carry in mine.  This is not necessarily meant to be an educational post, since what you will carry in your first aid kit should be fairly personal and customized for the duration of your trips, the places you go, and the kinds of ailments you might reasonably have to treat in the field.  It should also reflect your know-how.  A shaman might need less or different things than me, because I don't know how to forage for special medicinal herbs. 




My First Aid Kit Contents

 

The picture above shows what I take, all laid out and ready to pack.  Here's the details:

1. Assorted Bandages - for me this is one 4" square gauze pad, a total of about 5 or 6 Band-Aids of various sizes, and about 6 butterfly bandages.  These can all be used to treat or protect minor cuts and scrapes, burns, etc.  I put all of these in a zip-lock bag to keep them dry.  Ditto the zip-lock baggie for everything else below that needs to stay dry.
2. Nitrile Gloves - I bring 2 nitrile gloves.  They're non-sterile, but I'm not doing surgery, just trying to keep my hands out of anything nasty that I might have to deal with.  Can also be used to carry / store water in a pinch.
3. Antibiotic Ointment - About 6 or 8 individual use packs of antibiotic ointment for treating and protecting minor cuts and scrapes.  I prefer the individual packs over a tube for cleanliness purposes - I find that once open, the tube tends to get dirty no matter how much I try to keep it clean.
4. Hydrocortisone Ointment - About 6 or 8 individual use packs of hydrocortisone ointment - good for stuff that itches. Same story as above regarding the individual servings.
5. Acetaminophen - About 10 tablets.  For fever, aches and pains.  I keep all of my pills in a tiny plastic bag labeled with the contents (e.g. acetaminophen 500 mg), the dosage, and the expiration date.  Dosage is particularly important if you're bringing kids and/or if the medication is one that you're not very familiar with.
6. Ibuprofen - Ditto above, but about 20 tablets.  Also good for a hangover.
7. Benadryl - For allergic reactions.  I pack about 6 pills which is just enough to get someone evacuated where I backpack (we're never more than a half day to a day's walk from a road, unfortunately).
8. Claritin - For seasonal allergies.  I typically pack 5 of these (the normal dosage is 1/day), just in case my allergies are acting up.  I save the Benadryl for more serious stuff.
9. Imodium - For diarrhea in case you took my advise on how to treat drinking water in the backcountry.  I bring about 10 of these babies - eat them all and you won't crap for a month.
10. Alcohol Wipes - I bring 4-6 alcohol wipes for disinfecting stuff.
11. Vaseline - I cram some Vaseline in a tiny container.  It has all sorts of uses, from lubricating my fat thighs to prevent chafing to starting a fire (rub a cotton ball in Vaseline and light it - works great)
12. Small Pocketknife - Even though I carry a pocketknife on my person, I like my first aid kit to have an additional (and cleaner) small pocketknife.  I can use it to pick out splinters or lance blood blisters, whatever.  A knife that's cleaner than the one in my pocket is often appreciated.
13. Safety Pins - I keep a couple of safety pins - one huge one and a pair of smaller ones, not just for first aid (like pinning up a wrap / bandage / sling) but they're also useful for all kinds of other things.
14. Leukotape - 3 or 4 feet of Leukotape.  It's magical stuff that does everything from protecting heels from blisters to taping bandages to wrapping ankles.  It's the new duct tape.
15. Pencil - Just a little piece of pencil.  I wrap the Leukotape around it, but a pencil is handy in case you really do have a serious issue - you need to keep good notes (time of accident, time and dosage of any meds given, etc. 
16. Water Treatment Tablets - Although I carry a separate solution for treating water, I always like to have a backup source in my first aid kit.  Here I carry about 8 tablets, which is enough to purify about 2 gallons of water.
17. Waterproof Matches - Just like the pocketknife and water treatment tablets, I like to have a fire source in my first aid kit.  These are about as light as anything else that I could bring to make fire.

Total Weight Under 5 oz

That's it.  I'm sure there will be times when I wished I had something else, and there is stuff in that kit that I will probably never use, but for me it represents the pile of stuff that I want to have with me when I go out for a long weekend.

All in all it weighs in under 5 oz (4.87 oz to be exact), and that includes the mesh storage bag that I keep it in. 

Did I get it wrong?  Agree or disagree with something?  Leave a comment in the box below.

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